On the Road To Life
by Rainie
Summary: Revised; Link wants King of Red Lions back, but can he do it with Ganon's son on the loose and trying to reincarnate his father?
1. Begin The Journey

Tetra sighed.

"Link?"

For the five days past since they left to find the new Hyrule, Link had done nothing but stare at the lifeless King of Red Lions, almost hoping for him to speak again, and tell him where to go next. The waves lapped against the ship itself and the tiny sailboat.

"Miss Tetra, with all due respect, I think you should leave him alone for a while, yeah?" A voice said behind her. She turned around to see Gonzo staring at Link in a peculiar way.

"I know, I know, Gonzo. I'm just worried about him, that's all."

Gonzo smirked. "'Worried' about him, Miss?"

She stared at him in horror. "Don't you DARE think that! Don't ever!"

"Sorry, sorry." He replied, still maintaining his mischievous smile.

The young girl rolled her eyes and turned back to the boy.

_"Why can't you come back, King?"_ Link thought, finding himself close to tears, _"I need you here, to tell me what to do!" _

'Boy, that's new... Needing someone to order me around...'

"Link?"

He turned to see Tetra, the captain, standing there.

"What?"

"I said it's time to sleep!"

"Are you my mother?"

"No, but you haven't slept for two days."

"Aww..."

"Now go!" She shooed him away to his quarters, where he collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

The water splashed in front of him, sending wave after wave of refreshing liquid into the red boat that he was sitting next to. The island reminded him of Windfall Isle, where he met the King of Red Lions after a foolhardy raid on the Forsaken Fortress. Perhaps it was.

"Ahh...Link, my boy. It's been a while..." said a voice other than his own.

Wait a minute...

A _voice_?

He was the only one here! Unless...

He turned his attention to the boat's dragon like head.

"Pity...You forget me after only five days?"

For the second time in his life, Link backed away from the King of Red Lions. The very much _alive_ King of Red Lions.

"Once again, I've been watching you." The boat turned around, so he could face the Hero of Winds.

Link quirked an eyebrow. "Whatever for?"

"Reasons. And I see you've been watching me in turn."

Link looked down, so he didn't have to look into the boat's ocean blue eyes that he so enjoyed looking into when they had a conversation.

"Well...I..."

Suddenly, a tear dropped from his eye. He crawled over to the boat, and, out of the blue, gave him a gentle hug around the neck of it.

"I miss you! So much! I've gotten so used to you telling me what to do that I don't know what to do or where to go anymore! Why did you have to die?" He began sobbing.

King was a bit taken aback by the movements, but he felt compassion for the sobbing boy beside him, and wrapped himself around Link gently, so as to return the embrace in some way.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He began muttering in the boy's ear, trying to calm him.

Link hugged him harder, but he at least stopped crying...gradually.

"Okay now?" the boat said softly, looking at his tear streaked face with the usual concern hidden in his eyes. He saw the hero nod.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you...Really, I am..." he began, slowly but surely.

"It's okay, I understand...I -"

"No. No, you don't." He said.

"What?"

"Let me tell you a little something, Link... Even though a physical being perishes, the souls never die unless the goddesses unanimously wish it. And so… Well… I chose to come back. Not in Hylian form, of course… Since that… Well, you know. Though… In the Otherworld I'm allowed to at least change my form every once in a while."

"…Really?"

"Yes."

Link smiled a bit. Going off to find the next Hyrule was fun for a while, but it was never the same without the King of Red Lions by his side.

"Then there's a way to get you to come back to life..."

King watched him, waiting for the boy to come up with an answer. He knew, of course, but he also knew the boy was clever and he would figure it out himself.

Link, meanwhile, stared into the boat's eyes, envisioning every waking moment, every conversation, he had spent with the king of Hyrule...The day they met, going from island to island, searching for the pearls and other valuable items, Ganon's Tower, the battle with Ganon, and King of Red Lions watching Tetra and himself handle it...But wait...There was something before that...

_Link woke up to see the King of Hyrule place his hand on the Triforce, keeping his eyes open only a fraction, so Ganon would think he was still passed out. He heard him say that he wanted a future for Zelda and Link, for the ancient Hyrule to be washed away, and for Ganon's and his destinies to be fulfilled, leagues under the sea...  
_  
His eyes widened in realization, and the King nodded solemnly.

"Are you ready for another quest, then?"

Link nodded readily.

"You know I won't be there to guide you every waking moment you have, like I did when I was alive. I can only visit you in your dreams."

"I don't care. Tetra needs you...I need you...Everyone needs you right now...To guide us to the new land..."

King of Red Lions smiled faintly.

"Well then, my Waker of Winds, let the quest begin! Now listen closely: Ganondorf's statue is leagues under the sea, where the old Hyrule used to be. What you need is everything you earned from your last quest..." a look of reminiscence on his face came now"and perhaps..." he took out an instrument similar to the Wind Waker, except it was gold.

"What's this?" Link gingerly took the Wind Waker look-alike in his hands.

"It's called the Dream Caller. When you learn the proper song, you can use it to talk to me. I know I said I can't be with you every waking moment, and I meant it. You can only spend so much as an hour every two days with me when you learn it. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll get you back, I guarantee it!"

"I don't doubt you will. Oh, and one more thing!"

"Hm?"

"Ganondorf has a son. Watch out for him!"

"He does? But –"

At that moment, however, sleep seemed to want to leave him, and he woke up in a daze as he shook his head and stretched.

"Whoa..." Link said, sitting up. "What a strange dream...What's this?" he felt something smooth in his hand. Smooth and long. He brought his hand up, and saw the Dream Caller in his hand, sparkling with the sunlight filtering through the cracks of the boat.

"Guess it's real then, isn't it?" Link smiled widely. Oh, how he would enjoy going on another adventure, even though it would be hard.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally up." said a voice.

"Hi, Tetra!"

"Hi. So, what's that" Tetra looked at the Dream Caller.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, I need breakfast."

"Well then hurry up! We're almost at Windfall already!"

"Oh? Okay then, coming."

He came rushing out of the ship right after Tetra and her crew had entered the Entrance Gate.

"Wait! Wait!" He panted before he reached them, hands on his knees as he puffed loudly.

"Took you long enough. Now, can we go eat or are you going to stand there all day" Tetra said, not waiting for an answer and heading off to the Cafe without him. Again he ran after them, catching up and entering.

"Whew!"

Since Niko was left behind on the ship, as usual, there were only six of them, four of them being grown men. The pirates ate at a separate table, leaving Link and the princess to discuss his dream.

"Well see I was sitting down, and suddenly, King of Red Lions starts talking!"

Tetra stared. "So...?"

"T.T., he hasn't talked for a while! Well this was a dream but anyway, he tells me he's been watching me...again."

"Uh huh..."

And so Link continued from there, telling her of the events that occurred while he slept, and showed her the Dream Caller.

"He said when I learn the proper song, I won't have to be asleep to talk to him. But it only works every two days for one hour."

"Hmm...This isn't going to be as easy as I thought, then..."

"Nothing's ever easy, Tetra." Link reminded her.

"I guess you're right. Well, you stock up, and we'll be waiting. The new Hyrule can wait for now."

He nodded and left, having eaten breakfast already with T.T. Stepping into Old Doc Bandam's shop, he bought a Red potion and a Blue potion, having already a fairy and one jar of his grandma's famous Elixir Soup.

"Thanks, Doc!" He called as he left the store to get to the ship.


	2. Nothing's Ever Easy

Well, second chapter. Here goes! I hope I get reviews for this too... -sigh-hopes-

**On the Road To Life**  
**By:** **Kaitsurin "Rainie" Kisake**  
**Chapter 2:** **Nothing's Ever Easy**

"Hehehehehahahaha!" Ganondorf laughed in a strange, almost venomous way. He, of course, was stuck watching the young Wind hero and Princess of Hyrule while having to suffer in what seemed to be the solitary confinement parallel to purgatory after death. Though he DID have something up his sleeve, he decided to wait until he worked all the little kinks out in his plans, first.

"Once I send this Phantom Ganon into that stupid red boat, I can break that stupid little boy and the princess apart... One..." He cracked his knuckles, "By..." and did it again, "One!" Picking up a writing utensil, he snapped it in half and laughed maniacally again, transporting his Phantom Ganon into the King of Red Lions. The boat's eyes were now red instead of their normally dead-looking yellow now that the King was gone. The evil man noticed this, but he brushed it off, thinking that this trait would be overlooked.

"No matter; nobody will notice..."

* * *

"Did you hear something?"

"You're probably just hearing the ocean, Senza."

"Alright then Miss..." the other pirate said, unconvinced. He spotted Link with a sack over his back and waved. Seeing this, Link grinned and waved his arm enthusiastically, running back to the ship to begin the quest.

"So...uh...where do we go now?" asked Mako.

"Hmm...I don't know..."

_"What?" _Tetra demanded. "What do you mean, 'I don't know'?"

"King didn't tell me."

"Oh, great Goddesses... Do you at least have a theory of how to help him come back to life or anything?"

"Yes… Basically we have to go back down to Ancient Hyrule, find Ganondorf's statue, reunite the three Triforce pieces, and wish for him to be alive again."

"…But something that complex has got to have a catch… A sacrifice or something… That's usually how it works, right?" Mako asked as he stepped into the conversation.

"Well, we'll take that as it comes." Tetra said determinedly.

"Right. Well, let's go wherever the wind takes us then..."

"U-uh..." Gonzo stuttered. "I-I think t-the w-w-wind's taking us to our d-d-doom..." He pointed.

Link looked to what he was pointing at, and saw the biggest giant squid he'd ever seen, along with a huge pack of Seahats.

"Oh...my..." he began running around looking for his Hero's Bow while the pirates prepared the cannon.

**_"FIRE!"_** He heard Tetra scream as he fired at the seahat nearest the boat and killed it. Unfortunately, she and the pirates missed their target.

**"FIRE!"** she shrieked again. This time, they hit a Seahat, which was, luckily for them, right in front of one of the Giant squid's eyes, and the Seahat took it out for them.

_"FIRE!"_

He shot another arrow at an eye and hit a bull's eye.

"Fire!" He could hear Tetra's voice growing weaker from all the shouting.

"MISS TETRA! WE'RE RUNNING LOW ON AMMO!" someone yelled. Link didn't dare look back. He had to concentrate on killing the squid and the seahats before they got sucked in!

Tetra ran down to the King of Red Lions and grabbed Link's bag of bombs, all 99 in tact. At this time, the Phantom Ganon shifted sharply, so that she fell into the water.

"Oh no..." she sputtered, "I just remembered... _I can't swim!"_

Link ran to look for his friend, having heard her as he scurried back to his boat for a couple more supplies of arrows. Too late, though. By the time he saw her, the only thing that showed was her arm trying to clasp onto something. She had already sank down under!

"LINK!" Gonzo shouted, trying to pull him back from diving in. "Are you _NUTS!"_

He shoved the pirate away, and, determination in his eyes, jumped into the icy cold waters of the Great Sea.

"Oh no!" The pirates yelled in unison as they were beginning to get pulled into the center of the whirlpool.

"SAY YER PRAYERS, LADS!" someone yelled as they hung onto the deck as the boat swirled out of control into the center and came out in a faraway part of the Great Sea...Far away from Tetra and Link.

* * *

"Eh? Where is this place?" Link made out pinkish, lavender, and white fluffy clouds. He didn't need answers, however, because something told him that it was the Otherworld.

"Well," he mused out loud"at least now I can talk to King of Red Lions -"

"And explain to me why you acted so foolishly."

Uh oh...

* * *

Cough, sputter.

"Oh...My head...Where am I?" Tetra woke up after being washed up on a seemingly deserted island. Link was nowhere in sight.

"Link?" She called. _"Link?"_

She ran all over the isle, calling his name over and over.

"Great...Just great...I don't have any transportation, I can't find Link, he has the sea chart, and I have nothing to live in! Well...Guess I'd better get started on the living arrangements..."

* * *

"Err...Uh...That is...I mean...Erm...Eh..."

"Ugh...Sometimes, you act a bit too rashly for my liking..."

"But if -"

"I know, I know, you intended well...I just meant...Well if you were awake, you'd see. Plus, I feel like I'm playing the 'father figure' role right now...concern about you as well as Tetra is my responsibility and right."

Link looked down. "Sorry for worrying you like that."

"It's alright, but that's not what you're here for."

"Oh… So, what do you mean about the 'If I was awake, I'd see' thing?"

"Did you know you've ended up on some uncharted island?"

"...I have?"

"Yes, you have."

"Is Tetra there?"

"Actually, she's washed up way down south by Diamond Isle. You're practically washed right off the Great Sea's sea chart."

"Oh, no..."

"Listen, Link. If you ever find the pirates - which won't be easy, but I don't doubt that you can and will - you're going to have to be really, REALLY careful around the King of Red Lions. The boat, I mean..."

"What? What are you talking about? You're saying I should be careful around you?"

"No... I'm saying you should be careful around the only part of me that actually physically exists right now."

"Oh. I get it, but...Why?"

The King made a face, as if saying, 'You're _actually_ asking me why?'

"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count."

"Oh..." Link sighed. "What did he do this time?"

"Oh nothing, really. It just is really unsettling to know that I can't occupy that space because it's already been taken up by one of Ganondorf's evil doppelgangers." he muttered, as the young boy shuddered slightly while he remembered making his mentor angry once in a blue moon. Link's thoughts now turned to the Phantom Ganon, which would have looked like 'o.O;' if it actually was afacial expression.

"I know what you're thinking. But I don't want you to slice me to bits just to get rid of it."

Despite himself, Link smiled a bit, the corners of his mouth curving upward ever so slightly.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't DREAM of doing that."

"Uh huh..." King of Red Lions smirked and caught track of time. It was nearly nightfall in the islands of the Great Sea already.

"Wow. Time flies when you're having fun, eh?"

"Yeah...But I want to stay and talk to you more..." he sounded anxious now.

"You'll be doing that every two days once you find the right melody on that baton I gave you." He tried to reason with him. To calm him.

"I know… But...It won't be the same as when you were alive..."

"Oh goddesses, Link. Am I really that necessary to have around?"

Link nodded.

_And there's me, thinking that I was probably the most boring thing on the sea._

"You're not."

King stared.

'Pardon?"

"You're not the most boring thing on the sea."

"How did -"

"I... I can sense what you're thinking, sometimes. Ordinarily it would've been because I was about to get a long lecture from you..." he smiled smugly, but personally he thought those long lectures were to his benefit. "But I got past that and... well... there's your answer."

"You got all that from some lectures I gave you?" King of Red Lions phrased it like a statement rather than a question.

"Isn't it just a bit pleasing to know that your future Hero was listening to your every word?" _Even though I hadn't..._

"Well actually you hadn't...But it's time for you to leave, Link."

"Already?"

"Yes."

"Aww..."

"I don't want you to go either… But you have to if I'm going to come back. "

"Aww...Okay...It's for your own good."

"Hmm...Link?"

"Mhm?"

"'Night, kid."

"G'night, King of Red Lions."

Link left the Otherworld, silently musing over what King of Red Lions had said.

King of Red Lions never told him that the island was not as inhabited as he thought.

* * *

Tetra wandered the island again, picking up wood for a temporary shelter and a fire. There were fruits on the trees, strangely, and they tasted delicious, so she would eat those until she found someone, or someone found her.

"I wonder if Link and my crew are okay..." she said to herself multiple times. "They better be! I'm worried sick!"

* * *

"Oh man..."

About a dozen attempts and Link still hadn't managed to build a fire. He wished King of Red Lions was here. Then he wouldn't even have to build this thing in the first place! He heard his stomach growl...rather loudly, so he decided to go look for some food. On his way, he passed some ruins. And, looking through them, he saw something that made him more excited by the minute. There were directions, marked in gold, instead of carved in the stone like everything else.

**_ > _**

He tried it on the Wind Waker, and nothing happened. Then he pulled out the Dream Caller. Hoping that this was not a joke played by his most trusted advisor, he directed the baton in the specifically marked directions. He waited...and waited...and waited...and still no effect. Something told him that he was obviously doing something wrong, and so for extra emphasis, he wrote 'Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule' in the air with the Dream Caller. The words flashed in gold lettering for a few moments before shimmering away.

* * *

King of Red Lions was suddenly pulled out of the Otherworld, into Link's world, through a dimensional portal he swore he'd never go through again had he had the choice to, except to come back to life, of course.

* * *

Link was about to throw the Dream Caller on the grass, when he heard a 'whoosh'ing sound. He turned around, expecting to see King of Red Lions floating in midair, ready to talk to him. Instead, unfortunately, he saw…

"BLOODY DIN! A REDEAD!"


	3. Lean Into Discomfort

Hallow everybody! Well, here's the next installment. Hope you enjoy it as much as I had trouble writing it (and that's a lot considering I had writer's block).

Raine: Of course I can add you in! But could you please contact me so that I could discuss things with you, such as powers and such, how KORL found your character... Things like that. Here's my info:

AIM: Karasu No Soen  
E-Mail: Fun-

For some reason my disclaimers disappeared, so, here they are! o.O;;

DISCLAIMER: NO I do NOT own the _Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker_ and I never will... Unfortunately. -sob-

**On the Road To Life**  
**By: Kaitsurin "Rainie" Kisake**  
**Chapter 3:** **Lean Into Discomfort**

Ri2: Not neccessarily. I have a friend who absolutely _despises_ water, but when she's in swimming class (Where she is literally forced to swim), she is one of the greatest swimmers there. So, if that can happen, why can't this? Besides, it's fanfiction, no-

Amber eyes gleamed in the moonlight with a slight sadness in them as they scanned a pictograph that seemed to have been taken a long time ago. It was black and white 1, though it didn't look very old. Obviously, its owner had been taking good care of it. A tear or two fell down, almost staining the picture but missing by a millimeter, falling down onto the branch of the tree that the figure had been sitting on. The shadow's ears perked up, hearing a sound... Something like a banshee. And then...

"BLOODY DIN! A REDEAD!"

A raised eyebrow graced the mysterious figure's face as they quickly got up and sprinted away towards the sounds of battle, seemingly shrinking along the way.

* * *

"Miss Tetra? Miss Tetra?"

The pirates hollered, screamed, yelled, they even went as far as to shoot a bomb in the air for Tetra to notice, but still no sign of her. Without their captain, of course, the whole ship was chaos. Everyone wanted to be captain in place of Tetra, especially Niko because, obviously, he was the swabbie. But as long as they were fighting, Gonzo would take the captainship, being the most associated with her.

"'Hoy, Gonzo! What's that smoke coming off that island?"

Gonzo, who was feeling irritable at that moment, snapped back.

"You keep your mouth shut Mako, yeah?"

"But Gonzo -"

"Just SHUT IT!"

"...Yes sir..." the other pirate answered sarcastically under his breath.

All of a sudden, a huge pack of Gyorgs rammed the boat, testing the pirates' balance. The smaller ones fell down, but the bigger ones managed to stay upward. And then...

"MAN OVERBOARD!"

'Oh, no..." the second-in-command thought. "Not another one..."

* * *

Link battled with the ReDead, wincing every now and then as it released piercing, banshee-like screams. Once, it managed to get close enough after momentarily paralyzing the poor boy to actually do a little damage, and Link winced as he got his lungs crushed about five times before being released by Ganon's minion. This happened so many times Link was left to the point of total exhaustion. Slowly, a little too slowly, he pulled out a bottle containing some red potion. Before he could drink it, the ReDead took this opportunity to sneak behind him, but before it could, a loud 'YAH!' was sounded and the sound of a bomb about to go off could be heard. Quickly, Link scrambled out of the way just in time to watch the monster disappear in a puff of purple smoke. In the process, he dropped his bottle and spilled his potion.

"That shouldn't have happened..." Link thought bitterly, still weak. He could have fought better than that. Really, he could have. In any case, he found it polite to at the very least thank the stranger for helping him out. Before he could fully look at their face, however, a stern, almost regal voice sounded around the clearing.

"Hmm... Well...It's gone for now...Don't worry over it." said King of Red Lions, floating closer to Link as if he was still alive and on water. The Wind hero jumped at hearing his old mentor's voice.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the cloaked stranger, and they took off without notice, bounding through the forests of the island.

"Hey! Wait! Come back!" the young boy yelled, making a move to chase.

"Let them go, Link. They must have other business to attend to. Besides, you have wounds to heal. Look, they left you some red potion." King of Red Lions said. Link could hear the thoughtfulness in his voice and did not find it very wise to interrupt his mentor's train of thoughts.

"Eheh...Eheh...Yeah..." Link replied as he tried to clean out his earwax buildup with a finger and took a swig of the potion. He downed it in one gulp and felt better almost instantly.

"Hmm… You know, it's odd. I thought Ganondorf's monsters would be gone by now… Now that he's sealed away and everything."

"Maybe somehow he's still alive… Or it could be his son doing all this."

"Perhaps, but don't you think that's a little… Lax? I mean, normally there would at least be two of the same monster in a room…"

"I guess. Maybe whoever's doing this is just doing this for kicks… Biding their time, you know?"

"Yes…"

The conversation stopped there for a moment. Link continued to inexpertly clean out his ear with his pinkie finger, while King of Red Lions watched on, slightly amused and shaking his head as a smile spread across his face. He always looked so innocent, no matter what he was doing.

"King of Red Lions?"

"Mm?"

"Who was that? That cloaked person, I mean."

"I have my suspicions..."

"You do know, then."

"I think I might... But it is not my obligation to tell you."

At this Link took on a hurt look. King of Red Lions had _always_ told him _everything_ before.

"Sorry, I just think that it's better if they tell you rather than me... I don't even know if I'm right."

"...It's okay." Link murmured.

King of Red Lions watched him for a moment before deciding to break the now uncomfortable silence with, "I wonder, Link... Do you even know where to start looking?"

"Well, no, actually. I was going to ask you that..."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm quite forgetful these days… Well anyway, I suggest looking for a tiny island due southwest of here, I think."

"You don't by any chance have the name, do you?"

"Actually, I do. It's called Crown Island."

"Shaped like a crown, I take it."

"Exactly."

"Hmm..." Link stored that in the back of his mind for later.

"So what do I do on this...Crown Island?"

"Well, use your -" He was cut off when a portal to the Otherworld made itself visible and sucked Daphnes into itself.

"Use my what?" Link thought out loud to nobody in particular.

* * *

He himself plunged into the waters to save Niko, who had fallen over the side where he had stood to see what was going on above decks.

"Niko! Grab hold of me, yeah?" he reached out.

"GET AWAY!" Niko yelled then, and sputtered, "I don't need any help!"

Gonzo rolled his eyes, grabbed the swabbie by the scruff of the neck, and, as Niko struggled, held onto the rope that the other pirates had tossed down, having gotten rid of the Gyorg pack.

As soon as he got back on the boat, he dropped Niko and headed right for the wheel, steering it straight until he saw what Mako had seen quite a while ago.

"I to-old you..." Mako said in an annoying sing-song voice.

"Fine fine. I'm sorry. Now buzz off, yeah?" Gonzo mumbled.

Mako frowned and slinked away, looking for Senza who had grabbed his glasses away as a joke.

* * *

"Diamond Island?" Tetra read off the sign. It did indeed look like a diamond from a bird's eye view.

She saw something out of the corner of her eye, and picked it up. It was the Gossip Stone, made by the King of Hyrule and kept in the Royal Family. Tetra remembered that Link had the other one, but didn't bother to contact him now in case he was asleep. Then she looked up, and saw a pirate ship. HER pirate ship! Jumping for joy and beginning to smile the first smile she had worn in a while, she called out to her crew.

"'HOY! GONZO! SENZA! ANYONE!" she screamed as she ran closer to the shore so that she would be easier to hear.

"MISS TETRA, IS THAT YOU!" came a voice. That was Gonzo! YES!

She swam out into the shallows, and the boat pulled up next to her. She moved away from the red - eyed boat quickly. She was afraid of it as of now. It was no coincidence that it had just jerked like that. She figured she'd better stay away from it until someone found out what was wrong. Grabbing the rope that the pirates had thrown down, she held on until they had hauled her fully up onto the deck and got crushed by a barrage of hugs.

"OH THANK GOODNESS! YOU'RE SAFE!"

"HORRAY!"

"WELCOME BACK!"

"Okay, alright. Everyone calm down. The main thing right now is finding Link. Has anyone seen him?" she got frustrated when everyone shook their heads.

"Right, well let's move, then! FULL SAIL!"

She began to steer away from Angel Island and into the Great Sea. Link had to be out there somewhere, and she would find him.

* * *

Link bashed himself. He had forgotten. He wielded the Wind Waker...He could have just played the Song of Passing and all the toil would not have to be dealt with.

"Oi.." He said, putting down the coconut he had hit himself with multiple times and began to slice at it with his sword, drinking the juice inside. A little distance off, he could see the Fishman leaping in and out of the salty water. Too bad he couldn't swim that far without drowning himself. He sighed, remembering that he still had a day and a half to wait and talk to King of Red Lions again, but he would not meddle with the power of the Wind just for that. He had no clue what to do here! He couldn't just sit and wait. Ganon's son was out there was out there; where, he didn't know, but still, he could not risk wasting another minute.

Speaking of wasting another minute, he was burning daylight just sitting here. Last night he had resolved to find this masked stranger and see who he or she was... And what connection they had with the King. At that, he stood up and headed in the direction that the figure had taken off in that night.

* * *

A shadowed figure stood in the now brightly lit Forsaken Fortress, trying to darken it, bring back the evil that was once there. Yet it couldn't focus correctly. His father was dead, and his brain was full of malevolent plans to get revenge on the little brat in green clothes for killing him off.

"He thinks he can get rid of the Dragmires so easily… I'll show him… I will be reunited with my father, and together we will take over this pathetic land that the people now call the Great Sea!"

* * *

"Where could he be...?" Tetra thought, bringing out the Gossip Stone.

"Link?" she called, motioning for her pirates to get back to work and stop staring at her in awe as she held the Gossip Stone and talked into it.

* * *

"Link?"

He jumped. Hearing a voice other than his own freaked him out on a creepy little island like this, even though it was still daytime. He pulled out the Gossip Stone, a 'gift' from Tetra on his first ever adventure. The hero had yet to return it.

"Tetra?"

"Yeah. Where are you, Link? The pirates and I can't find you ANYWHERE!"

"I don't know...It's an uncharted island, so King of Red Lions says."

"King of Red Lions?" she shivered, her eyes glancing over to the small sailboat floating next to her pirate ship. Its now red eyes were staring straight ahead, quite menacingly.

"Yes... Are you still on Diamond Island?"

"No, I'm not. The pirates found me."

"I see. Well, all I found on this island were some ruins...With that song that I could communicate to the King of Red Lions with. I used it already, though, so I have a day and a half more to wait. Oh yeah, and some mysterious stranger helped me defeat a ReDead... They seem to be afraid or something of King of Red Lions, though. It's weird."

"That's odd, I suppose... Well, we'll discuss that when you're safe on the ship and maybe you can bring this shady character along with you. While you're waiting, we'll be searching. I wonder what Island you're on..."

"I dunno, but he mentioned to me that we were to start looking on Crown Island, wherever that is, and as I don't yet know what mass of dirt and rock I'm on, I can't very well tell you where to find me. But when you do, let's head southwest."

"'Kay." she said aimlessly.

"Tetra?"

"What?"

"Is something wrong?"

_He sound genuinely concerned..._ she thought to herself, and turned a bit pink. Dismissing this thought from her mind, she spoke again.

"No, no. I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Really really."

"If you're sure, then..." He replied uncertainly.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, Link. Stop worrying. I'm off now. Gotta get my crew in order...they started bickering about a minute ago."

"Okay. And um...Tetra?"

"What?"

"I miss you."

"I-I miss you too, Link. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Link desperately tried to get to sleep. The more he slept, the less he would have to wait to talk to King. He pondered over King of Red Lions as he fought for weariness.

"It's...Odd...It's as if he's...I don't know...A father to me. Now there's something. A talking boat comes up to you and a quarter of a year later, he's your father figure." Smiling to himself, he rolled over, still struggling for sleep. He wondered how King of Red Lions would react to that. He had Tetra - Zelda - Tetra...Whichever. He had her for a daughter.

That was another issue: Tetra. He couldn't help but feel like a big brother to her. Being so headstrong and bossy could quite possibly land her into something she most likely couldn't handle, and Link certainly didn't want that.

Then there was that... Person. Whoever they were, they sure did well at hiding themselves. Link had probably wandered around in circles on the island for the whole day, taking half hour breaks, but otherwise never stopping. He hadn't even eaten more than two coconuts. He was still trying to figure out who they were, when he fell asleep.

* * *

"Link?"

"Mrrph. Lemme alone, Aryll..."

_"Link?"_

"Go away..."

"'HOY! MR. HIGH AND MIGHTY 'I-SAVED-THE-GREAT-SEA'! WAKE _UP_" King of Red Lions said, snapping his fingers in front of Link's face and shaking him roughly with the other hand.

"BLOODY DIN!" Link screamed as he slid back into reality, but what he saw...Well, it was not what he expected to see.

The...err...'boat' grinned sheepishly, raising an eyebrow in amusement at the expression on the boy's face. In human form, he did not look like the King of Hyrule. Actually, he was dressed quite informally. And, Link soon realized, was very muscular. King of Red Lions had shoulder-length white hair that the Hylian boy suspected was bleached - though, it was natural, oddly - with a red band under his bangs, going around his head instead of wearing it like a girl usually did. He also had a clean white T-shirt that Link saw, to his amusement, hugged his body, so the biceps and other muscles showed through. The boy clad in green also saw him wearing...what was, in the day...Jeans, and sneakers. He raised an eyebrow at his mentor.

"When did you...How did you..._What the heck happened while I was gone!"_ Link gasped, wide eyed and staring.

"What you're looking at...This is the younger me."

"Younger you?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Wait a minute, here. How can I be sure that you're actually the King of Red Lions, then, and not some other guy trying to take control over me or something?"

"I don't know, Link. But how many people up here have talked to you in the past few days, hm?"

Link looked him over. This was NOT how the King of Hyrule used to look! How was he to know how he looked when he was at this age?

"Ah ha. Ah ha. Very funny. Why don't you prove it , then?"

Rolling his cerulean eyes, King of Red Lions told him, "Half a year or so ago your sister, whose name is Aryll, if I remember correctly, was kidnapped by the Helmaroc King so you traveled to the Forsaken Fortress in order to rescue her but you ended up getting thrown out and that was how I found you. I called your attempt foolhardy and I also called you dull-witted – Which, I might add, you still are."

Link glared, though there was a hint of mirth in his eyes. "Alright, King of Red Lions, spill. How exactly did you...Change?"

"I really don't know. Honestly. I just felt like changing back into human form for a while, but when I looked myself in the mirror I was...Oh, say...About forty years younger."

Link blinked in surprise, and he grinned in amusement.

"Well, I can see you've made a few...Ah..._Minor changes _here and there..." He said, keeping a straight face.

"Shut up." King took a playful swipe at Link's head, and the boy ducked, laughing.

"What does that make you then?"

"In Hylian terms, not including the flood we were all - by all I mean your ancestors - imprisoned in, I would be about twenty seven years old."

Link stared. If King of Red Lions was reduced forty years, that meant he was really sixty seven when he died. Huh, well, at least now he wasn't so big around the middle. He personally didn't care how King looked; it was just shocking to not see him either in his Royal form before this one or the sailboat he got around in. He smiled to himself again.

"Have the pirates found you yet?"

"No, but I don't expect them to. I am, after all, practically washed off the entire map of the Great Sea."

"True… Well, try fashioning yourself a boat, why don't you?"

"Feh. Easier said than done."

"It'd still help to -"

"Please, break up this nonsense..." said a man, stepping out of the shadows. The guy had a cloak on, so they couldn't see his face, but Link saw his eyes. Narrow; almost menacing. It was as if one look at you could turn you to ice. They were bronze, too; an odd color for eyes.

"Hey, just who are you?" Link asked, eyeing him warily.

"Nobody in particular." He answered, pulling out a dagger and pointing its tip at Link. Why, the hero did not know, but he was too worried by now to care. Just what was happening here? Link made to unsheathe his sword...His sword...Where was it? Looking behind him, his eyes wandered over the bare space of clothing on his back. No sword. No shield. No bow, no quiver. Nothing. The stranger took a swipe, straight across his chest, but King of Red Lions had jumped in front of him in the nick of time.

"NO!"

King couldn't die! He was dead!

So, how was this possible?

Even if it was impossible, however, and even if Link thought that nobody could be hurt in the Otherworld...He was wrong. King of Red Lions was bleeding. Very badly. He made no sound, yet Link could see on his face what pain this was causing him. He reached out, for the cloaked figure had raised his weapon again, but he couldn't reach him. The last he saw was Red Lions jumping backwards, trying to avoid a slash of the dagger across his throat, then all vanished.

And that was when Link woke up.

* * *

Well, that was chapter 3!

1: Pictographs were black and white before Lenzo invented the Deluxe Picto Box. Link's Picto was the first Deluxe one ever made. (Remember? The Forest Firefly was only a legend.)


	4. My Best Friend

T.T -Very mad with self for getting a huge writer's block- Mrr. Uh anyway, notes before we begin the fourth chapter:

O.o;; Sheesh, holy criminy people. So I made a little mistake about Tetra not being able to swim. I needed a plot twist in order for she and Link to be separated. As I said, this IS fanfiction...And I'm not perfect, y'know.

To Raine: 'Allo Raine! Holy criminy - such enthusiasm! I suppose you didn't get my E-mail (-Murmurs- Stupid mailer demons...). Here's the important part of it:

"I love your character. The reason I said 'they' was because I wanted to keep the person secret, didn't want to give away their gender in case the audience hasn't read my reviews and doesn't know about your new add-in- Another thing, can we shorten the amount of familiars to like... Two...? o.O;; Three wolves on a pirate ship wouldn't do much good and we need to leave room for new characters in a possible sequel after all- Whee! So anyways, contact me when you can"

As I said:

AIM: Karasu No Soen  
E-Mail: See my profile.

Contact me about the wolf-thingy so we can come to something agreeable. - There's also something else I'd like to talk to you about. Oh, also, I need to put a limit to how much you add into your little biography thing and your powers... Mrr... Sorry. I'll keep most of the stuff you've got though, so don't worry. o.O;; (My old RPG "No God-modding" rule is kicking in at the moment... Sunimasen. o.O;; )

It might be easier for you to get me on AIM though, since the last E-mail I got from you apparently wasn't valid.

Anyway, enough of my ranting. Let's get on with the story.

* * *

As he opened his eyes, Link realized that King of Red Lions was in trouble. But what made him feel the worst was the fact that he could not be there in his time of need. Looking out into the sea, he saw a figure approaching...It looked like a boat. Immediately, he got excited, and even more so after Tetra messaged him on the Gossip Stone.

"Hey Link!"

"Hey Tetra! Tetra, is that your ship coming?"

"What?"

"I see a boat, it might just be yours! Is it?"

"Link, we're not anywhere near an island of any kind."

"Oh..." the young girl could see the disappointment in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Hey, it's coming closer. Maybe it's a stray boat?"

"Maybe. And if so, you can use it!"

"Yeah."

"Oh no... LinkI'vegottagothepiratesjustgotintoafistfightloveyabrobye!" She said in a rush and closed the connection before Link could ask what was going on. Though the sentence was not very clear in the hurry that she said it, he could distinctly make out the words 'love you' and 'bro' in that sentence. He blinked.

As the boat came closer, Link could make out a head. Not a human's head, however, because there was nobody riding in it. And the boat seemed to move...On its own.

But then he accidentally tripped over a vine, knocking into a coconut tree. So hard, in fact, that the impact allowed a coconut to go into free fall.

Right onto Link's head.

* * *

"Link...Link...Wake up, Link!"

What? Where was he? He opened his eyes, and shut them again in a daze.

"Pull yourself together, Link!"

What? What had the person said? Surely he must be dreaming. He had heard that phrase once before. Once, when King of Red Lions came into his life, but now, who was this? He sat up, and looked around him, creasing his eyebrows when he realized what he was sitting in.

"So, have you come to your senses yet?"

A thin smile crept over Link's face, despite the circumstances. Memories of his first encounter with the King of Hyrule flooded back to him in a rush.

"King of Red Lions, is that you? If it is -"

He could hear the voice chuckling now. Not King's voice. He was sure of that now.

"Not quite..." the tiny boat said, turning around. "I am the Duke."

"Duke? Duke of what?"

"Look on the side, lad."

"'Duke of Gold Eagles'." he read on the stern of the boat. The letters were imprinted in gold lettering. So that was who this was. Link realized that there was a very big familiarity between the man he knew so well and this newcomer. They had a very similar name, that was for sure. King of Red Lions and Duke of Gold Eagles. Huh, it's not every day you run into these types of things, he mused.

He could make out royal blue paint. That was the color of the boat. There was also the head, which was of an eagle. The head was a dirty gold, giving Link the impression that it was actually real. Oddly, this figure made him think of King of Red Lions very much. Its eyes, though. That was what perturbed him. Its eyes were a fierce bronze.

* * *

King of Red Lions, in the Otherworld and still pretty hurt after what happened, watched on with apprehension as he wrapped a bandage around himself. He had told Link that he was the only talking boat in the Great Sea. But that was in fear of this particular situation. He already knew what happened next, and if his son wasn't careful, he could get into seriously deep trouble.

His son? Wait, he'd just thought of Link as 'his' son. That wasn't right. He shook himself, but the idea was just too bright and wouldn't vanish. Ignoring this with great agitation, he continued to gaze down at the young Wind Waker and the sailboat converse with each other.

-

Link frowned upon the small boat, which was now floating near shore, enough for him to stand without sinking. It did not move any closer. Hesitating only a small fraction, he began to search the boat for anything that might be useful, mainly a sail, recalling what he had to go through getting the King of Red Lions' sail, which was now, to his annoyance, attached to the small red boat wherever Tetra was. Finding nothing, he made to get out of the thing. He was used to strange things happening, like a boat talking, but King of Red Lions had told him that he was the only talking boat on the Great Sea. Turning to the head, he raised an eyebrow. And, very slowly, the boat turned its wooden neck. He blinked in surprise.

"So, you thought Red Lions was the only boat out there with the gift of speech, did you?"

The Hylian boy got himself into defensive mode, in case something went wrong. Stiffly, he nodded.

"Fear not, I am not your enemy, but his own brother."

"Oh really..." Link said dubiously, playing along.

"Yes." replied the Duke, taking his question seriously. "Separated in a very young age. You are on a quest for the new Hyrule, correct?"

"I see… Yes, however, we can't move very quickly without a sail...And I don't have one, seeing as my own sail's location is unknown right now..." Link replied, still slightly wary of his new 'friend'.

"It's alright. We'll wait for your comrades then, and you can tow me along."

"Err...Alright...It's getting dark, and I'm rather tired. G'night Duke."

"'Night." the boat replied absently. Link studied him for a few minutes more, and then walked back into the woods, out of earshot.

* * *

The shadowed figure shrugged off its cloak as soon as it entered its treehouse-type abode. The girl revealed herself to be about fourteen years old as she stepped back onto the branch that she had been lounging on a few minutes ago, glowing amber eyes sparkling slightly with tears. Her brown hair drifted about her shoulders as she lay there, thinking.

_I thought he wasn't coming back to me... He said he wouldn't ever come back... _

The corner of her mouth twisted up in a near snarl of frustration. Why would her best friend leave on such short notice and not come back to her when he was still perfectly able? Well, Raine would just have to find out.

"Larka" she called into the gloomy darkness of the island. All too soon, a white wolf with golden eyes was bounding towards Raine, and it landed right in front of her.

"Yes, Raine?"

"Gather the pack... We're going on a little 'expedition'."

"I assume you mean you want to go meet the boy in green clothes and a green hat."

"...Yes, I suppose." was her reply, the emotion in her eyes changing dramatically from sadness to pure determination. She heard her wolf companion sigh.

"Alright then, I'll go get Slavka and Fell and we'll see you there."

"Right." murmured the girl as she began to walk towards the shores of the island and gazed at the small picture that she had kept for so long.

* * *

"Let me out of here this instant, you ba -"

"Please, stop with your petty words..." a shadow said, rolling its eyes. "They make no sense."

King of Red Lions suddenly knew that Link was calling for him. He could feel the portal open, hear it, even see it. Hell, it was right in front of him. Right there.

And he wasn't sucked inside.

He wondered what kind of sorcery this was. Nobody could defy a dimensional portal, not even with the strongest magic known to Hyliankind. Yet this shadow of a man could, and he just did.

"What have you done? What are you doing! Do you realize that without my help -"

"The Hero will not prevail? Yes, I understand, and that is why I am keeping you here, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule."

"What...How do you know me? Just who are you, anyway?"

"Royalty is branded differently here in the Otherworld, my friend."

"Don't call me 'friend', damnit! Who are you!"

"You don't recognize people that well, do you?" the figure said with a smirk.

"Quit playing games with me, Stranger. I could have you hanged for this...This felony!"

"Come now, Daphnes. Surely you recognize your late son's murderer?"

King blinked. It had been a while...Yes, a_very_ long while. After a few minutes of piecing things together his eyes narrowed in a near-deadly glare.

"You! You were – I – _You killed my son, you bastard!"_

"Oh, good. You do remember what happened." Gavan snickered while he stepped away from the shadow of the doorway.

At the age of 21, Gavan Dragmire had lanky red hair that hung about his face in shoulder-length locks that did not look to be neatly groomed. He had a hint of his father's skin, but it definitely wasn't as green as Ganon's was. Gavan wore a pair of baggy black pants and a red shirt. His hands were covered by fingerless gloves and he wore shiny black dragonhide boots (similar to modern day combat boots). The son of Ganondorf had bronze eyes, a sharp nose and a slightly prominent chin. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, legs apart, looking like a rebel with his many chains and such around his neck.

"Y-you... You're positively evil. You should be dead by now, too. Why aren't you!"

"Well hey, what do you expect? I'm Ganondorf Dragmire's son. Anyway, as a last resort of my father's, way before he was forced into that horrid place you people call the Sacred Realm, I was put under a spell that was to keep me younger, and as such more stronger, more durable, and much more powerful than I had been currently over the years. I am still under that same spell, and it won't break until Ganondorf is really gone.

"You were way too family-oriented back then to care... Worrying for your daughter's happiness led to your consent to marry the Hero of Time, and you got attached to him nonetheless. It was your own fault. I was just doing my job.

"But...Well...You know, I had so much fun torturing your son. Hearing him scream in pain like that was very satisfying, and now that the reincarnation of the Hero of TIme is recognized, I might as well do the same to him, right? I wonder if he screams as loud as the other one did when I put him under torture..."

He began to snicker evilly, his bronze eyes gleaming with pure malice as he walked away. King of Red Lions had just realized what would happen to Link if he just didn't talk to him soon.

"NO!"

* * *

Link was at a loss. He had just contacted King of Red Lions with his Dream Caller, and yet for some reason, nothing was happening. It had been about ten minutes since his conduction.

"What the bloody Din is going on up there?" Link wondered. He frowned and thought for a while as he leaned against a rock, but his ears twitched as he heard something rustling in the bushes. For a few moments he looked around through narrow, alert eyes, then, thinking it must have been some woodland creature, went back to his musing. This time, however, he found himself snapped out of it by the sudden appearance of three wolves. Two were white and one was black. The Wind hero blinked and warily reached for his sword.

"Relax, they're not going to hurt you." said a voice. The young boy looked up so quickly he could have sworn he had just given himself whiplash. Standing behind the pack of wolves was a girl about his own age wearing all black. Her brown hair was down to about the middle of her back and she had bright amber eyes.

Link raised an eyebow at her.

Raine stared at him.

You could hear a pin drop.

"...Who are you?" Link finally decided to ask after a long period of total silence.

"My name is Raine. Raine Wolfwinter. This is Slavka, Larka, and Fell." She said as she indicated each wolf in turn. "And who, pray tell, are you?"

"I'm Link Arakaze, the Hero of Winds... Are you the person who saved me before? What are you doing on this island? Ki - A friend of mine... Told me it was deserted."

"Well, apparently, King of Red Lions was wrong."

Link was a bit stunned by her sudden statement. "How do you know... I mean... _What?"_

"Sit down," said the girl, apparently amused. "This might take a while."

The young hero obliged, folding his arms against his chest as he leaned against the nearby boulder, as Raine began her story.

"See, I'd been raised by wolves most of my life. I don't know why, I guess my parents didn't want me or something. Anyway, when I was ten, King of Red Lions found me. He probably assumed I was an orphan, and he took me away. After that he raised me, and we became friends. Closer, I think... I consider him my father... He treats me like a daughter sometimes, too."

Link had to hide back a smile.

"Well when I was thirteen, he left me. He said he wasn't coming back... Maybe he believed I could fend for myself at the time, I'm not sure. My guess is, he left to find you, huh?"

"Err... Well, he _did_ find me a bit after my own thirteenth birthday..."

"Thought so."

"Well, then... How did you get here?"

"We sort of lived here, I guess... It was my little hideout anyway. He kept me safe, see. So, what's your story? How did King find you?"

The Hero of Winds blinked. He had not been expecting that question, but prepared himself anyway.

"Well, I guess it all started on my thirteenth birthday. On my island, Outset Island, to be precise, boys who turned thirteen were required to wear this," he pinched at his tunic. "on their birthday. So after I visited my grandmother for that since I'd apparently fallen asleep on the watchtower, I went back up the lookout to see my sister Aryll, who gave me a telescope for my birthday..."

Raine raised an amused eyebrow as she leaned against a tree. This story was already interesting, if not hilarious.

"...And after the Helmaroc King had dropped my friend Tetra - who is a pirate by the way, I didn't know her back then - into the Forest of Fairies, I went to go train with this old swordsman guy named Orca and I gained a sword...So I went to rescue Tetra, and after we'd gotten out of the forest my sister was running across the bridge that connected the forest with the main island and the Helmaroc King grabbed her, mistaking her for Tetra."

"Uh huh..."

"So I asked Tetra if I could go on her pirate ship to save my sister. At first she said no, but in the end after Quill the Postman's prodding, she gave in. Soon afterward I found myself going through the Forsaken Fortress - Ganon's base at the time - and I had almost saved my sister, but the Helmaroc King grabbed ME and Ganon told it to toss me. I think I went unconcious before I hit the water...Anyway, some time after that I heard this voice saying 'Link... Link... Wake up Link!'. That was King of Red Lions. He told me all about Ganondorf and how to save my sister, so we went on this huge adventure together... In the end, though, he... He stayed back... You know, since Hyrule was his kingdom and all..." Link finished in a sad voice. "I tried to get him to come back with us... But... Well, you know him too. You know how stubborn he is... I still remember a bunch of the good times we had though. Like the boating course! That was -"

"Wait, wait, wait." Raine said hurriedly, her eyes wide at the mention of the prospect of her best friend being dead. "You mean to tell me that King's not alive?"

"Well, yeah. But -"

"Then how come I saw him?"

"Because I called him. But -"

"'Called him'? How do you 'call' him!"

"Would you calm down! Sheesh. Just let me finish explaining." The Wind hero said irritably.

"Sorry."

"Right. As I was saying, a few days after his death, he came to me in a dream -"

Raine stopped listening for the moment and felt a very small pang of jealousy. Why didn't King of Red Lions ever visit her in her dreams? Did he not like her anymore?

"- And so he gave me this." Link finished. He pulled out his Dream Caller and showed it to her. She blinked at it.

"Well, for now the only thing it does is let me talk to him for one hour every two days. I'm sure it's got other uses though."

"I s - Wait, it lets you talk to him?"

"Yes. Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"Well, yeah... Have you used it yet?"

"Well, I tried, but it didn't work for some reason. That was right before you came along."

"And so you're on this quest to bring him back to life."

"Uh huh."

The girl frowned, suddenly wondering if her best friend had forgotten her.

_Not possible,_ part of her mind said. But, for some reason, she doubted that statement if only a small bit. If he hadn't, surely he would have tried to get in contact with her somehow. She frowned. Well, King of Red Lions was getting her help whether he liked it or not.

"I'm going with you."

"And - _excuse me?"_

"You heard me, I'm going to help you rescue King."

_"What?_ But... But you..."

"Hey, I'm practically the guy's daughter. That counts for something!"

"And _I'm_ practically his son. That counts for something too."

"Fine, then we're temporarily brother and sister. Come on, just let me help! He's my best friend!"

"Well for your information he also happens to be one of my best friends and most trusted advisor."

"Well, don't you sound all grand and important."

"I wasn't trying to!"

"Right. So come on, let me help."

"Urgh. _Fine."_

Raine grinned triumphantly while Link rubbed his forehead.

"I'm going to try King of Red Lions on the Dream Caller."

"Can I watch and see how it's done?"

"Sure, why not..."

Once more, Link conducted The Calling's Ballad, hoping against hope that his mentor would be beckoned forth back into the mortal world.

But the King never came.


End file.
